My heart grew heavy as I read about the double suicide of the radio hosts in New York City last night. So many people were shocked – especially because the woman was a former psychotherapist. We tend to think that certain “types” of people are immune to suicidal ideation – counselors, ministers, teachers – but the truth is, there are times when we are all…
Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the cell phone dilemma. My internet has been down for a week, so I apologize for taking so long to respond. While we haven’t made any definitive decisions yet, many of you gave convincing arguments on both sides. I was impressed to see that many parents have created cell phone contracts with their kids prior to giving them…
This morning, Jeff and I sat down to a “slide” presentation of why our eleven/almost twelve year old needs a phone. She shared with us a plethora of information (she did her research) about why it is time for her to have a phone. Most of her friends have a cell phone, and she uses the classic argument, “But my friends all have one,” to…
A group of students were hanging out in my office laughing and talking in my office one morning – a pretty normal occurrence. As one of the students walked out, he said, “Man, this is like facebook in real life!” This generation is so wired, so connected technologically that many are lacking in social skills. When I was in school, if the teacher finished early,…
(Picture from nami.org) May is National Mental Illness month, and I’ve been receiving lots of emails about the importance of raising awareness this month. I recently watched Silver Lining Playbook (lots of language and crude scenes, I’m not endorsing the movie), and was impressed by the way that they demonstrated someone with bipolar mania. When someone with bipolar disorder is manic, they have excessive energy…
There are days when I feel like our culture is dripping with arrogance. I hear students talk about how dumb their parents are as they puff themselves up. Many feel as if they know everything and adults are clueless (I’m sure I felt that way as a teenager, too). Even the television programs today depict adults as ignorant, and put children up on an all-knowing…